Vanderbilt University NIH NIDCD-funded Short-Term Research Training Program for AuD Students (T35)
The Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences at Vanderbilt University offers five short-term research traineeships each year to AuD students at Vanderbilt and other universities. These traineeships are funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through a program of Pre-Doctoral Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Short-Term Research Training Grants (T35).
This AuD student traineeship program is part of an initiative by the NIDCD that focuses on the importance of research to the profession of audiology and the importance of exposing students to research. Students who pursue AuD degrees generally do not have opportunities to undertake directed, full-time research as a part of their AuD training program. This research traineeship program is one way that NIDCD encourages students with potential interest in research to explore those interests. It provides an excellent opportunity for AuD students to obtain significant exposure to research in an active laboratory conducting basic research in hearing science and/or translational research related to audiology.
Student trainees work alongside established research scientists in one of twelve hearing research laboratories at Vanderbilt and are involved in a specific research project. The program is designed to give trainees an opportunity to learn about research through concentrated, focused, full-time hands-on experience. In addition to learning about the process of conducting research, students have opportunities to attend seminars and lectures, participate in discussion groups, attend meetings of investigators to discuss projects, and participate in discussions related to the ethical practice of research. Traineeships also include funds that support travel to the annual meeting of the American Auditory Society where trainees can present the work they completed during their traineeships.
Traineeships are awarded each year on a competitive basis. Most traineeships will be completed during the summer months of students' programs. Students from all AuD programs in the United States who are eligible for NIH NRSA support (e.g. U.S. citizens or permanent residents) may apply for this training program. For more information and application materials, please contact Linda Hood, Ph.D., Principal Investigator/Program Director (email: linda.j.hood@vanderbilt.edu or phone 615-936-4612).
2025 T35 Traineeship Overview (VU Students)
2025 T35 Application and Instructions (VU Students)
2025 T35 Traineeship Overview (Non-VU Students)
2025 T35 Application and Instructions (Non-VU Students)